Origins
by Shadowfang901
Summary: Po is the Chosen one-the Dragon warrior, but he wasn't the first one. Long before him there was a young orphan that earned the title of Dragon Warrior before anyone else. She controlled forces and powers that Po has not even scratched the surface of yet. Watch her battle her way through politics, dragons of myth, and a war. Did I mention she's also a wanted criminal?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Sooooo Hi guys. I'm officially back and I'm sorry it took so long. I thought I would start up a new story since I can't pick up with TGD and I can't remember for the life of me what I was gonna do with Tiger's Serenity...This one was kinda buzzing around in my head for a few days so I decided to run with it. It starts out really slow...and the first chapter is kinda short.**

**Probably cuz it's more of an intro...anyways lemme know if I should continue thisXD**

**Oh yeah and I need another beta author to help check on the chapters and bounce ideas off of if anyone's up to it**

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"Mom!...Dad, No!" Kaya's piercing scream shattered the silence as she was none to gently shoved into the dark crevice. Why was this happening? Not even in her worst nightmare had she thought her home would be destroyed, or that her family would die. Her father's stern face filled the rocky opening warning her to be silent.

"That's enough little one. You must be quiet. Do not move. Do not leave this place. Do you hear me?"

She whimpered her eyes burning with unshed tears. "Don't leave me" Kaya whispered quietly.

Her father's face softened and he gently nuzzled her. "We don't have a choice." He murmured. Kaya felt him bury his face in her fur just for a second then he was gone. Kaya ached for her father's warmth the minute he disappeared. It would be the last time she saw him...ever. She was just a cub, but she knew death.

The dead don't come back.

"Kaya..." Her mother's raspy voice called out to her. Kaya locked eyes with the one that had given birth to her, fed her, and always protected her. Her mother was going to die too. Her little body trembled with fear and anger. This wasn't fair. Why was this happening? "Kaya, my precious child" her mother's emerald eyes glowed with love. "Life will be hard for you. This day will stay in your heart and hurt and haunt you years from now...But you will be safe. You will grow up to be beautiful. You will grow strong. You will heal, because time heals all. Just remember that we love you and want you to be happy. Find that happiness little one."

Kaya let out a low whine as her mother nuzzled her then disappeared-her finely striped pelt swallowed whole into the night.

What now?

Her mind struggled with her parent's words.

Don't move.

She had been shoved into a tiny enclave-too small for any adult of any species to fit through. Kaya was a tiger cub-and a hopelessly tiny runt at that. No one could find her here. She was safe. At the same time she couldn't stay in the little crevice forever. Her tiny claws slid out scraping hopelessly against the stone.

What was she gonna do?

Don't leave this place..

Off in the distance she could still hear the sounds of fighting. A loud roar made her shiver cowering closer to the stone. Black Bears. Angry. Aggressive. Extremely territorial. Beasts. Unprovoked they had stampeded through her home and blind-sided her family leaving nothing but chaos in their wake.

She remembered her father's challenging snarl as he faced off against the huge beasts. Fearless. Brave. Infuriated. She had never seen him look so terrifying. The giant monsters took one look at her father and made the worst move possible. They leapt at his family. Her brother, the last of her parent's first litter, that was a breath away from adulthood, died instantly.

Her mother had taken one look at the blood soaked corpse then grabbed Kaya by the scruff, and darted off to safety.

The idea of losing two cubs in one night...

Wrong, on so many levels.

What was left of her family fought them while her parents said goodbye to her.

And now she had no one.

Hot tears slid down her cheeks as she thought of the hulking beasts that had mindlessly struck her brother down. Her parents did not stand a chance against such monsters. They would not live past the night.

Kaya was truly alone.

Her mother's words ghosted through her mind.

Be safe...Find happiness...

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx(Time Skip 10 years)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hold still thief so I can kill you properly!"

Kaya giggled leaping from rock to rock with her stolen prey. She was starving and the glazed meat had been calling her name. Maybe stealing from the local market wasn't her best idea, but starving was not high on her priority list. "You'd have to catch me first old hag!" she called over her shoulder.

Hiro was a stubborn old ox Kaya noted wryly as she lengthened her stride to put more distance between her and her chaser. Things had changed from when she was just a small cub. After the death of her parents, and the destruction of her home she had decided she could only rely on herself. Other people would only get hurt or die on her. From the time she had escaped from the carnage of the bears up to now she had honed her speed, her agility, her cunning.

She made a perfect thief and spy and she knew it .She had perfect balance and was quick. Untouchable.

Now at age seventeen-She had grown tall and slim. Her cub fat had disappeared only to be replaced with muscle, and her fur had darkened to the dark orange of her species.

Kaya looked like an adult South China tiger now.

Not only had Kaya changed, the world had changed with her. Towns sprouted up all over the country. People of different species started interacting with each other. Gone was the time of fangs and claws and running only on all fours. Now felines, reptiles, mammals, birds, and the occasional fish walked on two legs as well.

Change came forward in leaps and bounds. Things such as bargaining, compromise, and negotiations were instituted all over the country known as China.

Unfortunately not all changes were good.

The world had grown more sophisticated. The people had turned into more of a society. But society was corrupt. The newly invented government was run by a single person. That single person made laws that did not benefit everyone. The emperor looked out for his own interests.

He didn't care that there were more warriors and wars than there were people to fund them.

He didn't care about the people that were dying every day.

He didn't care about the people that were starving.

Which led Kaya to her current predicament. She was a female, and a penniless female tiger at that. It's extremely difficult to buy food without money. It's even more difficult to steal food and sneak past a bunch of nosy guards. She glared at the ox gasping for breath behind her. As the chief guard in this particular town- Hiro really did not appreciates thieves. That in itself was a shame cuz Kaya was a damn good thief.

The punishment for thievery was to lose the hand you stole with. She eyed her left paw with some alarm as she moved. She was rather attached to that limb and in no mood to be crippled. With that thought in mind her pace increased.

Kaya agilely leapt off her next rock and darted forward- lunging toward the forest just outside of town. With an impressive series of leaps she jumped off a large boulder angling herself just right and landing lightly on a tree limb.

She was safe.

"KAYA!"

She chuckled leaning against the tree trunk and sending the fuming ox a lazy glance.

"Can I help you?" She said with a smirk and just to enrage him further she took a small bite out of the meat.

"You won't get away...Every town for miles knows your face. You WILL end up behind bars." The ox snorted angrily, his nostrils flaring with each word. "And you WILL pay for your crimes."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm shaking"

Kaya blinked as the ox appeared to shake in anger and only had a second to move before a large axe was whistling toward her. She ducked falling flat on the tree limb and felt the air rush across her fur as the axe embedded itself deep into the tree trunk where her head had been previously.

Kaya stood upright dusting herself off and took another bite of the meat before focusing on the chief guard who was actually angry enough to throw large pointy axes at her.

"Missed me" She purred in amusement taking a sort of morbid delight in the way the ox looked ready to throttle her.

"Get over here and say that" He roared.

Kaya chuckled.

"Sorry, places to go, things to steal." She sent him a heartfelt glance and watched as Hiro looked a second away from skewering her with his horns. "You understand how that is right?" she giggled leaping off into the forest. Her amused expression stayed on her face as she lithely darted through the trees.

Now that she was fed, the next matter of business is traveling.

Hiro had one thing right the towns around here were too familiar with her. She would get caught if she stayed in the area much longer so she would have to travel farther out. That was dangerous though.

Her grin melted into a frown.

There were rumors of bad things happening on the outskirts of China:

Foreigners invading Asia looking for something.

Skirmishes on the borders.

Rebellions in the towns.

She hummed thoughtfully.

Well she couldn't' stay here and get arrested...

What's the worst that could happen.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx(Elsewhere in the Universe)

The clouds shimmered molding into patterns and brushing against the beast's scales. He shook his mighty head and with ethereal grace uncurled himself standing taller than any mortal. His cat-like eyes narrowed focusing on earth.

His chosen was causing chaos as per usual.

"I don't understand why of all the creations you picked such a...fickle creature to bond with." The dark snarl came from another celestial beast half his size with twice his temper. He looked toward the one speaking and was met with two pale glowing irises. "D'ruk...My king-surely there must be a mortal more...worthy of your power."

D'ruk, thunder dragon, king of his kind merely smiled.

"She is worthy. Kaya is more worthy than any I have ever seen."

His fellow companion snorted disbelievingly.

"I don't see it. All I see is the foolishness of a child...The weakness of a mortal...and the deviance of a female."

D'ruk chuckled.

"You mistake those qualities for weaknesses. She is strong Nuwa She is my chosen." Nuwa the foul tempered dragon he was addressing-who also happened to be the keeper of fire let out a plume of smoke his massive claws raking over the clouds.

"Your chosen" Nuwa said scathingly his voice dripping with venom "Is an embarrassment."

D'ruk paused sending Nuwa a warning glance "You doubt my choice?" Without meaning to he bared his fangs, his dagger like teeth making The Dragon lord of fire cower submissively before him. His tail whipped back and forth in annoyance. "Stand Nuwa. There is nothing to fear today."

Nuwa raised his massive head his eyes shimmering with regret.

"I apologize. I don't mean to doubt you...But all nine of the celestial dragons have their own chosen, and you choose a feline barely past cub hood to be the Dragon warrior that brings in the new age. What makes this kittling so special?"

D'ruk threw back his head dissolving into hearty laughter that shook the heavens.

"Haven't you noticed?" His laughter quieted and his millennia old gaze pierced Nuwa with fear and awe. "The little one is fearless. I absolutely adore her." He rumbled, his massive frame shivering in pleasure. "She will make a formidable enemy like her parents before her and will pave the way for her descendants many years from now."

Nuwa growled irritably.

"You've already picked a kitten to save China from it's own Darkness and usher in a new age...What's next? Will you pick a bloody panda to save the world? Or perhaps an overgrown peacock to destroy it?"

D'ruk smirked mysteriously as much as a dragon could. "Perhaps"

Nuwa blinked.

"Sometimes I wonder about you milord..."

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**So...What do you think of Kaya?**

**Or the Dragons?**

**Or the intro so far...Heh he well don't worry too much cuz more is coming.**

**And yes the main character is a feline again cuz..Well I do better writing about felines in the TGD world .**


	2. Chapter 2

**Whoo okay this chapter felt a little bit better. It's much longer than the last one and you get to see Kaya in a good mood. This chappie kinda gets the plot goingXD**

**Oh yeah and just so everyone knows this my version of a prequel to KFP that I will be updating at least once a week. Hopefully this one I'll be able to finish. Anyways Read and enjoy.**

**Thanks Spexy and Shektor for reviewing.**

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Kaya took a deep breath trying to center her thoughts.

In.

And out.

In.

And Out.

Her trembling slowly began to cease. Her breath evened out and her tense muscles slowly began to relax. With aching slowness she opened her eyes and began rubbing the sleep out of them. Nightmares were a regular occurrence for her. This time it had been bad though. She woke up in the middle of night- her pelt drenched in sweat, and her voice hoarse from screaming.

Kaya's head dropped into her hands. Her family's death still haunted her. It happened so long ago but the pain was still raw. How many more years would she wake up in the middle of the night her heart pounding- her throat choked with tears she refused to shed?

Her eyes traveled to the door of her room.

She was surprised the nosy owner of the inn hadn't barged into her room.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when the door slammed open and a very annoyed looking boar glared daggers at her. An amused smile tugged at her lips. She had spoken too soon.

"Miss what seems to be the problem? I heard screaming from this room." The angry innkeeper huffed glancing around her room.

Her ears fell flat against her head and she awkwardly cleared her throat.

"I...thought I saw something trying to break into my window" She lied smoothly, and let her eyes travel over to the window as if still checking for the intruder. Internally she winced. NOT her best lie ever, but it would have to do. At her fake terrified expression the boar's demeanor changed immediately.

His expression became one of concern. "Miss we're two floors up from the ground. It would be very difficult for someone to break into your room."

Not true. Kaya could break into any floor of this inn with relative ease. She squashed the mutinous thought. She was supposed to be playing the traumatized drama queen at the moment. She let her bottom lip tremble. "I was so scared though."

His eyes softened and the boar innkeeper ambled past her to crack open the window. He made a grand show of checking outside all the while Kaya was smirking at his back. Men were sooooooooooo easy sometimes. When he started to turn to face her she wiped the smug look off her face and once again channeled the doe eyed airhead.

"There's nothing out there miss, and if there was I would take care of it." he puffed out his chest proudly and it took extreme effort not to roll her eyes or scoff at him. "Perhaps you should get some rest and calm your nerves. I assure you are perfectly safe in my inn."

Kaya cracked a weak smile. "I will try to get some sleep. Thank you for your help." She murmured dipping her head. The innkeeper nodded at her then turned to leave-carefully slipping out of her room so as not to disturb the other occupants at the inn. Kaya sighed when the door closed completely.

That was close.

She really needed to stay away from inns. They ended up being more of a pain than they were worth. The South China tiger cracked her stiff neck, glaring out of the window at the forest just beyond the inn. She was SO tired of sleeping on the hard ground though. Rocks are a poor substitute for a well made futon. Not to mention she had just recently run out of food so another night in the forest meant another night with an empty stomach.

Nothing about starving and sleeping on a hard surface sounded appealing at the time. So as soon as the city of Wuhan had become visible she had quickly threw herself into a crowd and slipped into the city. She had picked the first inn she saw and with all the lady like grace she could muster plopped herself onto a stool and demanded to be fed.

Five dishes later, with her hunger somewhat sated she had become aware of several people staring at her. She remembered licking her chops predatorily and watching with some amusement as other animals flinched and looked away.

Kaya chuckled. Silly fur balls. If they hadn't been so busy worrying that she would eat them they would have noticed that every plate of food she finished off was filled with noodles and vegetables.

As a vegetarian tiger, eating random pedestrians was not on her to do list.

Kaya smirked getting to her paws. What was on her to-do list was to see what goodies Wuhan had hidden in the city. She glided across the floor to the other side of the room where her pack was laying. With one paw she flipped open her bag, and with the other paw she began to shrug out of her dress.

The new standard for females was to wear clothes that enhance their beauty: dresses, kimonos, anything of that nature. Unfortunately, said clothes were heavy, restricting, and altogether stupid. Kaya preferred to wear more comfortable clothing. She grinned as she took out her silk shirt and trousers.

Perfect outfit for a thief.

She slipped into a black shirt and wrapped a white cloth around her waist to secure it then stepped into the black pants. She completed her outfit by wrapping her paws in bandages. Kaya suppressed a grin at that point-not only did she look good without the outfit, but with it she looked like the most intimidating thief China had ever seen.

Now that her gear was on it was time to see what Wuhan offers. Silent as a wraith she cracked open the window and crept onto the ledge. Her claws slid out, embedding themselves in the wood and she carefully climbed her way to the roof of the inn.

"Well that's surprising." She mused out loud as she picked her way to the other side of the roof. Down in the on the dirt walkways below, guards were patrolling the streets. Either Wuhan had more crime than she originally thought or the city had something to worthwhile to protect.

Kaya frowned trying to remember what Wuhan was famous for.

It wasn't a wealthy place so she would not find much money or goods in this town.

The sparse amount of guards meant that not many soldiers were stationed here so she wouldn't find anything in the way of weapons. Her eyes narrowed in thought. Rumor had it that the city was a scholarly place. Most of its citizens were well read and it's people were passive. What secret could this scroll happy town possess?

Kaya hummed with anticipation, and slid down to the edge of the roof. There was one sure way to find out. A scholar's town meant that among all these well educated people someone had to know something interesting. It was just a matter of finding someone willing to talk.

Annoying. This whole thing was becoming a pain.

Her tail lashed impatiently as she waited for a guard to make his way down the street. When his back was turned she lithely leapt off the rooftop being careful to land in a crouch and melt into the shadows.

Her thoughts raced as she hid herself in the darkness. Who would be a good person to talk too? The innkeeper would have been ideal with all the foreigners coming in and out of his tavern he would have heard plenty of gossip and rumors but she had already wasted that opportunity with her performance earlier..

The guards would know of something but seeing as she had already donned her thief wear talking to a soldier would cause more harm than good.

Think. Think. Think

There had to be some kind of warlord or leader of the town, who most likely had all the information she needed but finding him would take time. Not to mention she could not risk getting caught and making a scene.

She licked her muzzle lost in thought.

Wait. In a scholarly town like this wasn't there supposed to be a record keeper of some sort? She grinned evilly. That was it. That made things so much simpler. All she had to do was find the house where the smell of paper and ink was the strongest. She casually scented the air.

West.

Her destination was towards the west of the town.

Her eyes traveled to the guard who was now walking back towards her.

These patrols were getting annoying. With a small smirk she palmed a rock waiting for the guard to come closer. She placed the rock in her claws, and with a strong flick sent the rock careening into a building several yards in the opposite direction of her. The noise caught the guard's attention.

"Hey do you hear that? It came from over here."

She purred in amusement as the guard sounded an alarm and two other guards appeared a few seconds later looking for "The intruder". She waited for them to disappear in the other direction then darted into the street. Her nose twitched as she tried to catch the heavy scent of paper that she had smelled earlier. After identifying it she began to run.

"Let's see...If I was a nerdy scholar who was in desperate need of sunlight and a bath what kind of place would I be living at?" She muttered chuckling to herself as she ran. Kaya's grin widened when the scent got stronger indicating she was close to her destination. She ducked around a corner her paws barely skimming the ground before she was on the move again spurred on by her curiosity.

Finally the scent of paper and ink was overwhelming to her sensitive nose and she paused in front of one building.

"I'm guessing this is it" She eyed the building like one would a particularly interesting bug. With a slight roll of her shoulders she clambered up the side of the building using the cracks in the wall as holds instead of using her claws. As a thief, it would be poor manners to just use the front door.

With slug-like slowness she inched the window open and carefully lowered herself into one of the rooms.

So far so good.

She glanced around, memorizing her surroundings. She was on the second floor, third window, and in a narrow hallway with two different doors and a stairway leading downstairs.

Kaya blinked.

Now where was this record keeper?

Silently she padded down the hallway glancing between the stairs and one of the rooms. Was he up here or downstairs?

"Helloooooooo" She called out softly. Kaya tilted her head to the side listening for a reply and hearing none. "Fine ignore me then." She huffed. With a roll of her eyes she decided the man she was looking for wasn't upstairs. She scented the air to confirm that thought. Yep. Dude was definitely downstairs.

With a sigh she slowly began to descend the steps being careful not to make any noise.

A soft light flickered at the bottom of the stairwell.

The record keeper was there.

With ninja like quickness Kaya slipped out of the shadows making her presence known. The record keeper- a ram of some sort didn't hear her and didn't turn around. He seemed to be reading something or studying something.

She awkwardly cleared her throat.

The ram in question jumped startled and turned to face her eyes wild with fear.

"What?...What are you doing here? How did you get in here?" With each word he got louder and Kaya gaped realizing how close he was to causing a scene. In the blink of an eye she leapt over to him, knocking him over. When he started to squirm and looked ready to scream she straddled him with her legs and placed one paw over her muzzle. "Quiet." she hissed.

He glared defiantly at her his oval like horns shaking as he trembled with fear.

Kaya met his gaze evenly. "You brought this on yourself. Next time don't make so much noise. After all I'm just trying to have a friendly conversation."

His eyes watered and he looked her up and down as if to say "You're a carnivore and your claws are uncomfortably close to my throat. What about this conversation is friendly?" To terrify him further she gave him a fanged smile and at seeing her sharp canines he let out a very un-goat like whimper.

"Don't worry." She purred. "I don't bite, and as long as you cooperate, we won't have a problem."

The ram nodded vigorously, most likely eager to do anything to get her out of his building. At his response she carefully got off him and helped him to his feet.

"There...That wasn't so bad now was it?" She giggled innocently at the murderous look sent her way.

"What do you want?" The ram said sulkily his wheezy voice still shaky from fear.

She tilted her head to the side eyeing the record keeper with some amusement. "Funny you asked. The reason I broke in here and scared you to the point of tears is I need some information and I was hoping you'd be able to help."

The suspicious glance sent her way made her smirk.

"What kind of information?"

"Well I'm on a...expedition of sorts" She mentally congratulated herself for finding a different word instead of saying "thieving frenzy" or something equally crass. "and I stopped to rest in this town. Now I'm wondering if there's anything worthwhile in this town I'd be interested in." Kaya pointed to the wall behind him that she just noticed was filled with scrolls and paper. "Something in the scrolls perhaps?" She suggested coyly.

The ram who had looked terrified before now looked sick.

"N-n-n-no. There's...Nothing. Nothing at all in the scrolls you'd be interested in."

She sent him a flat look.

"Is that how you lie?"

He coughed uncomfortably. "Look Miss...I dunno what your "expedition" is but I doubt anything in the scrolls would matter to you. Perhaps you should try the jewel shop, or the silk store. There are things much more befitting of a lady there."

Kaya just stared at him noting the beads of sweat soaking his fur.

"I'm not interested in those stores. What exactly are you scared of record keeper?" He shuddered his eyes flicking back and forth nervously. At the beginning she was amused at his fear. Now she was genuinely interested at what was in those scrolls. When he didn't move she made her way to the other end of the table and began pawing her way through the scrolls on the shelves.

"No!" He shouted and lunged at her.

The scroll that was in her grasp fell out of her hands rolling open on the wooden floor.

Kaya fell back against the shelf letting out a slight hiss of pain when his horns rammed into her side. She lay still a minute catching her breath than got to her paws trying not to wince. Obviously whatever was in that scroll was important if the ram was scared enough to actually attack her for simply touching the thing.

Her eyes narrowed at the record keeper that did not look so small and scared anymore.

"You only get one free shot." She said quietly. Kaya's voice was ice as she glared at him. "Do not touch me again."

With one more dark glare at the ram who was eyeing her with terror she padded over to where the scroll was laying on the floor. Cautiously she rolled it open all the way and began to skim its contents. What exactly was that ram so desperate for her not to see?

As she continued to read certain things stuck out to her.

The imperial guards report, which said people in the capital were dying off at an alarming rate. Someone or something was killing them.

A sickness was going around China that made people stark raving mad. Good innocent people that had never harmed a fly were now attacking women and children. Defenseless people were being killed off by family they loved and trusted.

The emperor was falling out of grace with the people for not protecting them and ignoring the needs of the poor because he was too busy trying to contain the sickness.

And at the very bottom of the page was an imperial order to all the soldiers.

"Tseng my Soothsayer has predicted that someone is coming that knows how to stop the killing and this disease. By order of the emperor it is my will that you find this warrior. I want his head and anyone that gives it to me will be rewarded. This outlaw is responsible for the death of many. If he knows how to stop it he must be involved in creating this sickness. Kill this "Dragon warrior and you will be a savior of China"

Kaya gaped at the scroll.

She had been down in Southern China for far too long.

She had not been aware of ANY of this.

There was a sickness going around that made people murderers?

The South China tiger turned her serious gaze to the ram cowering by his table and held up the scroll. "What is this?" She asked trying to keep her voice from rising.

The record keeper winced.

"That's a scroll directly from the emperor himself. One was sent out to the record keeper in each city. I was supposed to give it to the head guard, but I wanted to finish studying what it was talking about first."

She resisted the urge to snarl at him and tried to reign in her temper. "What IS it talking about? What is this disease? How do people get it? Why hasn't the emperor contained the situation or at least warned the people about this? and for the love of the gods what is the Dragon warrior?"

The ram traced circles around hooves shifting nervously. "I can't answer all of that because I don't know. I've never seen this disease. I don't know why people are getting it, where it came from or how to stop it." He sent her a dry glance "This is why I didn't want you to look at the scroll."

Kaya crossed her arms over her chest giving him a pointed look. "Well I did...Is there anything you CAN answer. At least try to be useful."

The ram huffed looking decidedly offended and trotted over to the shelves where the other scrolls were. "Actually I can shed some light on something." He rummaged through the stack of papers for a few moments before grunting and pulling out a rather sorry looking scroll. He blew dust off the top and carefully unrolled it with a hoof laying it out across the table.

Kaya inched closer to take it a peek at it.

"I don't know about anything else in that scroll but I do know this." The ram pointed to a carefully painted picture of a warrior wielding a rather impressive looking sword. "The Dragon warrior is supposed to bring peace to China. If the emperor follows through with this order and really does kill him. We might all die."

Kaya gaped.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

"You're joking right?" She said weakly.

The ram sent her a grim look. "I truly wish I was."

Kaya wanted to claw something.

Now THAT was just stupid.

If she was gonna die she didn't wanna it to be over a misunderstanding that turned into a ridiculous miscommunication issue. She glared at the ram her fur beginning to bristle. "If that's true...Why didn't you mention this to anyone? Or send a message to the emperor?"

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Who would listen to me? I'm but a humble ram. You can't just end messages out to the ruler of China. "

Kaya blinked.

The record keeper had been cowering since she arrived. She couldn't really see him trying to talk to the most powerful man in China and telling him he had screwed up and might actually be signing his country's death certificate. She twitched.

"Well if they won't listen then you make them! This is important." She growled.

The ram sent her an irritated glance.

"If you think it's that simple Miss then you do it."

Kaya's bravado melted and she gave the record keeper her best "Yeah freaking right" glare. She pointed at herself with one claw. "I am a thief-not a messenger."

The conniving little goat actually had the gall to laugh.

"Well today you can learn to be both."

Kaya flexed her claws feeling her temper flare. This ram was making her seriously reconsider being a vegetarian. If he was cooked in a soup he couldn't talk anymore right? His smug grin didn't disappear and she took a step back.

The South China tiger should have left Wuhan when had the chance.

Ugh.

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**R and R lemme know what you think:3**


	3. Chapter 3

**Whoo okay new chapter! Major thanks to Shektor for beta-ing**

**I know this one seems a bit off story but it IS important so bear with meXD**

**M4dgirl- haha yes as a prequel to KFP I will have Oogway show up in this story at some point**

**Read and enjoy people!**

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Stupid.

Kaya scowled, her paws gripping her travel bag since she had left Wuhan and started to travel down the road she had been fighting the urge to beat the living tar out of something.

She was a bloody thief. She should liberating some obscure town of all it's riches, or snatching some inheritance from some greedy nobles. Why was she delivering a message that a gods be cursed ram was too terrified to deliver himself? Of all the asinine things in the world... Her scowl darkened and she kicked a rock unable to shake her foul mood.

This was so stupid.

Her pace quickened to an angry fast walk as she made her way down the dirt road.

She gained nothing from her trip to Wuhan except a headache and a mission she didn't want and wasn't suited for. Kaya's paw traced over the scroll the record keeper had entrusted her with. The ram had agonized for over an hour in writing a very detailed report on the dragon warrior. She was supposed to deliver it directly to the emperor before any damage could be done. If she wasn't fast enough this "mystic warrior" might die.

Supposedly that was a bad thing. An all powerful guardian of the universe being executed didn't bode well for China's future... or for her savings fund.

"Why is this so complicated?" Kaya sighed thinking of how obscenely difficult her goal was.

She was weeks away from reaching the emperor. After Wuhan was the city of Dai meng, followed by the Xang river and the booming town of Tenzo. After reaching Tenzo it was about a weeks long travel to the imperial city and who knows long she had to wait before she actually recieved an audience with China's patriarch.

She frowned.

Clearly something had to be done about that too. She was a female. Alone. Females were to be seen and not heard. Even coming from a species as well respected and feared as the tiger race she had limited resources and was even less qualified than the goat to deliver this message. How would she get the leader of a nation to listen to her?

Kaya grimaced feeling a headache coming on.

Maybe she could dazzle him with her beauty and stunning personality?

The thought made her snicker knowing she was more likely to steal the emperor's fine dining utensils while he wasn't looking and less likely to seduce him with her charm.

Heh. No matter what she was thief at heart.

An ingot of gold in the emperor's palace would make for one very happy tigress. The mere thought almost made her purr. She restrained herself from happily falling to the ground and rolling around like an overly hyper cub, but couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine. After ruminating about her "messenger quest" for hours the sun had gone down. It was now cold. Kaya glanced around, her eyes growing wide at the unfamiliar surroundings.

And she was completely and utterly lost.

She had become so engrossed in her thoughts that she had failed to pay attention to her surroundings. Her emerald eyes glowed as her gaze flicked back and forth from the road to the vast expanse of forest to either side of it.

Kaya had no idea where exactly she was or how far she had traveled. The only thing she was certain of was that she was nowhere near a town or a village yet.

Her tail flicked in annoyance.

This was the gods be damned ram's fault. Her claws flexed and she vaguely played with the idea of running back to Wuhan and making a nice little rug of the stupid recordkeepr. If he hadn't begged and pleaded with her to deliver this letter she could be asleep at an inn right now but nooooooooooo.

His wheezy voice ghosted through her head.

"You must quickly deliver this message and my notes to the emperor. He must not make the mistake of killing the only one that can save China...You must hurry. Every second you delay people are becoming slaves to this sickness and dying."

Kaya snorted.

If he wanted her to hurry he should have left her a bloody map. She was now too lost to even attempt rushing off to the capital.

"Stupid goat...should have eaten him." Kaya murmured glaring at her surroundings. She would be sleeping in the forest tonight. She loathed sleeping on the ground. With a heavy sigh she hefted her bag wearily making her way off the road and into the undergrowth. As she stalked through the trees her sensitive hearing had her pausing every few seconds almost certain she heard a noise.

Who was trampling around the forest at this time of night?

Her gaze traveled skyward then fell on the treeline infront of her using the moon light to illuminate the path. Perhaps she was hearing things, but if her suspicions were correct someone else was here with her.

Her nose twitched and she took a deep breath, trying to scent the air for anything foreign.

The stale smell of incense made her stiffen.

Kaya dropped into a crouch-her eyes wandering around the clearing. Where was this stench coming from? She took another quick sniff and then carefully crept towards the source of the scent. Her claws slid out with a small hiss.

She would not be caught unawares.

The smell became more potent, and Kaya made sure she made no sound as she approached using years of stealth training to aid in her in the effort. Just outside the treeline there was a clearing that reeked of incense, fire, and meat. Something was waiting just beyond the undergrowth.

The South China tiger peeked around the corner.

Her jaw dropped.

In the clearing was a recently abandoned camp. Bags of fresh food and traveling gear were left off to one side and just hidden in the back of the clearing was a large caravan. Kaya blinked feeling her eyes beginning to burn from the coal was still burning in the fire suggesting that someone had been here not too long ago.

The multiple packs of gear and the caravan suggested that there were multiple people traveling together...Traders perhaps.

Kaya licked her muzzle thoughtfully.

The thief in her was telling her that if there were traders in the camp, most likely there were some interesting goods in the caravan as well. A side detour from this ridiculous misison wouldn't hurt right?

Her logical side was telling her to stop procrastinating. She had a job to do and this side detour would only bring her more trouble. She couldn't afford to play around like this because at the moment people's lives were at stake.

Decisions.

Decisions.

Kaya sighed rubbing her head. She REALLY wanted to investigate. She looked longingly at the caravan. A quick peek wouldn't hurt right? Thoroughly decided, the South China tiger carefully slipped through the trees picking her way around the travel packs so she wouldn't accidently make any noise.

The back entrance to the caravan was merely covered with a silk cloth. With one paw Kaya gently pushed the cloth away. She peered into the storage compartment hoping to find some gold coins or perhaps some relics. Instead of the valuable goods she had been expecting to snatch Kaya came nose to nose with an adorably small face with huge watery eyes.

They stared at each other.

The cub reacted first letting out a piercing scream.

"Oh no no no." Kaya stumbled back hushing the child. "Don't cry..." Her voice cracked and she glanced around. Someone had to have heard that.

She was in soooooooo much trouble.

It was time to go.

Definitely.

She let the silk cloth fall back into place hiding the screaming child and stumbled back the way she came. In the effort to leave the camp she tripped over one of the travel packs, the resounding clang as the bag hit the ground made her wince.

How did this happen? She was a professional thief. She never got caught, and now all of the sudden she was clumsy too?

Kaya cursed muttering every obscenity she could think of.

"Now that's not very befitting of a lady." The South China tiger stiffened at the smooth voice coming from behind her. Kaya grit her teeth and with herculene effort turned to face the newcomer. Her pained expression melted into a fake plastic smile.

"I'm a different kind of lady." She replied lightly trying to mask how annoyed she was.

"That I see." The voice was amused now. She could almost feel the new arrival shaking with laughter and it did nothing to soothe her growing anger. "But as unique as you are miss...Why don't you tell me what you are doing in my camp?" From the shadows a large aging fox glided into the clearing piercing her with cold milky eyes.

He was blind.

Kaya's eyes narrowed as he took a seat on the forest floor. Blind or not she could safely assume he was the leader of this band of traders. No doubt the rest of his men had this clearing surrounded and were waiting on the fox's signal. She concentrated. She could smell at least ten others...

She winced.

On her best day she could not fight that many.

Kaya once again gave the fox her attention as she struggled to think of a way to escape.

"I'm just a weary traveler sir...I'm here because I smelled the incense and was hoping to find a place to sleep tonight." She finished ending on a slight whimper. Perhaps the old fox was chivalrous and just enough "Damsel in distress" drama would get her out of trouble. Kaya let her bottom lip tremble for good measure.

To her annoyance instead of taking the protective stance most overzealous males would the old fox let out a hearty chuckle.

"A weary traveler eh...Why do I find that hard to believe? You did not seem so helpless or distraught when I arrived. And I find it odd that a female that has the heart to travel alone in the forest at night is scared of sleeping on the ground for a few days.."

Kaya twitched.

Perceptive old man.

"I..Came across your camp and it looked abandoned so I was hoping to spend the night here. I don't mind sleeping on the floor but I would prefer not too." She tried again adding a bit more wistfulness into her words. The old man didn't look overly impressed with her acting skills though. She felt her chest tighten in anger.

Kaya huffed irritably. She couldn't do this charade all night.

"Look." She snarled. "I'm just gonna leave alright. No harm's done and I need to be moving along now anyways."

That's right. She had a mission she was supposed to be focused on. Screw theivery. It's morally wrong anyways, not to mention time consuming and extremely distracting when it didn't work.

The fox eyed her like one would a rather amusing one year old that just did something adorable. "You were stealing weren't you?"

Kaya froze coughing nervously.

"No never." She lied unconvincingly.

He laughed again this time slapping his knee and letting his large silky tail fall across his feet. "Boys!" He called out letting a lopsided grin stretch across his face. "This little girl was stealing from us. We all know what the punishment for theives is right?"

Kaya eyed the shadows as huge lumbering shapes surged into the camp. All around her she heard loud obnoxious laughter as everyone shared in one huge joke at her expense. The clearing filled quickly with the fox's traders. With growing apprehension Kaya did a quick headcount. One fox. One crocodile. One ox. One tiger. One wolf. One pigeon of some sort. One python. A badger, and one hare.

Too many potential threats.

The aging fox chuckled softly again, gaining her attention. "Yes woman or not you will have to take responsiblitiy for your actions. We do not tolerate thieves here."

Her nose wrinkled. "And what exactly do you plan to do with me?"

The mysterious smile he directed at her was not reassuring.

(Several Hours later)

Kaya glowered at the half drunk trading crew for the fifty seventh time that night. The overgrown bargain hunters had been loud and overbearing for hours now. There would be no sleep for her tonight. She sighed softly leaning back against the large tree. This was typical. She really needed to get a handle on her impulsive stealing. She couldn't afford delays like this.

Carefully she tried to manuver her bound wrists, but to no avail. She only succeeded in chafing the flesh where the shackles were. A pained hiss escaped her and she gave up, cursing for the fifty seventh time that night as well. As punishment for "Stealing" She was now a prisoner of this caravan.

She was not allowed to leave till they felt she had paid back her debt to them.

Her eyes traveled to where her gear laid.

Kaya should have never come here. Every instinct had been screaming at her to stay focused on the mission but that greedy part of her had insisted on taking over. Now she was stuck with a bunch of rowdy alcoholic tradesmen.

Approaching footsteps made her pause in her inner ranting.

What now?

"Hello. I was wondering if you would like a drink?"

Staring back at her was the tiger she had seen before. Her eyes trailed over his markings. He wasn't a South China tiger like her either. What species was he though? It didn't matter. This could be a ploy of some sort. Her eyes narrowed mistrustfully at his words. "No thanks. I'm not in the mood."

He deflated a little and set the drink down anyways.

"May I sit here?" He gestured to the spot on the ground next to her.

Polite little furball wasn't he?

Kaya was almost amused at his mannerisms. "Would it matter if I said no?" She chuckled.

"Even a prisoner has rights." He says with a shrug taking a seat next to her. He glanced at her his dark eyes swirling with confusion. "What were you doing stealing anyways? Surely someone like you could be doing something more...refined."

"Someone like me?" She echoed lowly, "Now what does that mean? I'm a thief. Common sense dictates that anyone like me would be enjoy thievery by nature." She smirked.

"But it's wrong."

Kaya twitched at the utter stupidity in those words. This tiger seemed to have a black and white view of the world. As a trader who most likely ripped people off for a living one would think he'd be less of a do gooder.

Instead of starting a long winded argument on ethics, the South China tiger deftly turned the conversation in a new direction. "Why aren't you out there with them?" She nodded in the direction of the partying traders.

The male beside her looked embarassed for a second. "I just became a trader. I'm new to this caravan. I don't quite..fit in yet."

Cute. He was such a shy feline. It was rare to meet a tiger that wasn't full of himself.

"So because you have virtually no friends here you decided to come be friendly with the prisoner who you helped capture?" She teased him taking extreme pleasure in the way he looked off to the side guiltily.

"I was just following orders." He murmured, his ears flattening against his head. "The leader of this caravan Bao Fong, the fox you saw, has a strict policy on thieving." His hazel eyes traveled over to the campfire where his caravan mates were dancing around. "Bao is pretty lenient actually. His successor would have had you charboiled or something."

Kaya blinked absorbing this information.

"And who is his sucessor?"

He actually growled a little at that. "Fang, the wolf you saw earlier...He's cruel. For stealing from us he would have killed you. He always wants to solve things by beating something to death. He's been getting worse each passing moon."

Kaya frowned.

This complicated things. Bao Fong looked ancient. He could keel over at any second. Fang, however looked like a complete menace. If he happened to take over while she was still a prisoner her life expectancy was not very high. She glanced at the tiger next to her. Maybe she could coerce him into letting her go.

It was worth a shot.

"That sounds scary." She sighed letting her facial expression crumple. She had to play this right. If she looked pathetic enough, maybe she could escape tonight still. This do gooder was the key.

He sent her a sideways glance then tried frantically to back track. "Wait-no I mean..Ughhhhh. Fang isn't really scary, just uh-dangerous." He cursed at his word vomit and it took extreme effort for Kaya not to burst out laughing at him. She was supposed to look miserable not amused.

"Dangerous?" Kaya fake whimpered letting her eyes turn glassy.

The tiger gaped at her in horror.

Obviously he had no experience dealing with a crying female.

Amateur.

"I'm sorry." He dipped his head at her. "I didn't mean to scare you...you are perfectly safe here I promise."

Safe?

Right...

Clearly he had a different definition of safe than she did.

She inched closer to him anyways. "With you?" She questioned coyly, thoroughly enjoying the way he flinched and scrambled back from her. "What is your name anyways?" His mouth dropped open to do the fish thing and no sound came out.

Wow, apparently trading was not the only thing this tiger was new to.

Women were obviously foreign to him as well.

She resisted the urge to kick him to make sure he was still breathing. A tiny bit of flirting would not kill him would it?

After a minute he managed to find his voice. "My name is Kuan. I'm a Caspian tiger." He responded hesitantly.

She smiled softly at him and dipped her head in the traditional way.

"My name's Kaya. I'm a South China tiger."

Whatever else she planned to say was interrupted by a loud childlike yell. Kaya blinked as a tiny blur of orange darted towards them and attatched itself to Kuan's midsection. She recognized the little furball a second later. It was the tiger cub she had seen in the caravan a few hours ago that had alerted the whole freaking world that she was raiding their camp.

She glared daggers at the little urchin.

This was all the kid's fault!

Kuan did not seem at all surprised to see the cub attacking him in a hug. "Hello Mei." he grinned encircling the brat in a one armed embrace. The child giggled showing off little fangs.

"Kuan!" the cub cheered enthusiatically burying it's face in his lap.

He chuckled lifting the child up so it was facing Kaya. "Mei this is Kaya. Kaya this is my little sister Mei."

They stared at each other.

Kaya grinned weakly.

Mei pointed at the South China tiger accusingly. "I saw you earlier!"

She grimaced at the exclamation trying not to say something scathing in reply. "Yeah I know" She muttered darkly. Of course her only way of escape would have a little sister. Kaya wasn't overly fond of children. In her opinion they smelled funny and were only useful as minions.

Her gaze traveled to the sky.

Why did the universe hate her?

* * *

**So what do you think? Any thoughts questions complaints? **

**R and R. New chapter will be out soon**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yo guys^^ New chapter...**

**Thanks Ihatethesystem. It's cool to be back. I missed everyone too and I'mma try not to disappear again. As for needing a beta. Shektor volunteered already so I got it covered for now but thanks for offeringXD**

**and as for how Kaya's going to get out of it...haha you will see.**

**Everyone read on and enjoy.**

* * *

The next morning was not that much better.

After socializing with the Caspian tiger and his little demon sibling she had spent the night sleeping stiffly against the rough bark of a tree. It was extremely unpleasant. Even walking now she was still stiff and sore from the night before. To make things worse mere hours after she had fallen asleep she was kicked awake by a very smug boa snake who informed her the caravan was set to move.

In the early morning hours she was not as coherent or as adaptable. She had taken one look at the rising sun and told him where he could stick that message

And now she was in her current predicament. Against her wishes the merry band of hung over traders had set out on the road as soon as the sun was visible. For her insolence they had entrusted her with the most callous of their raggedy bunch.

Kaya glared at the one who held the other end of her chains.

"Hey Fang would you mind walking in a straight line? You keep yanking my chain every time you stupidly trip over every pea sized stone on this road."

The wolf in question whirled on her his teeth bared in warning. He was bigger than her by a full head. His pelt rippled with muscles and a long jagged scar crossed his muzzle. He could probably beat her senseless. However, despite how dangerous he looked Kaya was far from impressed.

He snarled at her defiant expression and yanked her forward so she was unsteady on her legs. While she was unbalanced he gripped her throat in one paw cutting off her airway. Kaya's eyes bulged and she struggled to breathe. Oxygen was important. She sincerely missed it at the moment. "Look here you stupid wench. I don't care what the old fox said. You will respect me. You step out of line with me again and I will end you myself."

Well wasn't he charming?

Kaya rolled her eyes.

"The caravan is leaving us behind." She reported smugly watching his beady eyes dart towards his trading mates' retreating backs. With one more dark glare in her direction he released her and began walking again.

Kaya took in deep gasping breaths as she found her footing.

Psychotic mutt.

She glowered at the back of his head.

And that violent waste of fur was supposed to take over this trading group? He was not suited to lead anything. After dealing with him all morning she could feel how restless he was. How hungry. If the old fox did not die soon there was a very good chance that Fang would murder him. After all it was not that difficult to stage someone's death and Bao Fong looked pretty close to taking a dirt nap anyways.

She had to get out of here before she got stuck in these caravan politics.

"Hey Fang I need to talk to the old man."

He didn't even have the grace to twitch to acknowledge her words. Kaya eyed him coldly.

"Hey I'm talking to you."

The wolf huffed, not even bothering to turn around. "Clearly I'm ignoring you. Stop talking."

Kaya grit her teeth in annoyance. She hated being ignored. Especially right now.

Bad dog.

"Fang." She spat her claws hissing out and scraping against the hard steel of her chains. "Let me talk to Bao now." She snarled. The wolf paused and appeared to think. With a frosty look he turned to glare at her. Disgust was written all over his face and he looked a second away from cracking her skull against the rocky path.

She wordlessly challenged him, "Come get me mutt I dare you."

Canines and felines were natural enemies. Animosity was to be expected between the two species. Unfortunately, the logical explanation behind canine-feline interactions did nothing to appease her instincts that were screaming at her to break Fang in half.

The second he moved Kaya flinched back.

Her chains stretched in a tight line, biting at her flesh and restricting her movement. There was nowhere to run. No room to move. Kaya was stuck. She fixed her eyes on the flea bitten mongrel charging her. What was she gonna do? With no time to dodge or block she braced herself for the inevitable explosion of pain.

"Fang."

Before he could reach her a strong paw stopped him.

She blinked.

Fang blinked.

Her apparent rescuer rolled his eyes. "All this noise over one girl." Kaya sighed in relief at hearing Bao Fong's raspy voice. The old fox turned his sightless eyes to her accusingly. "And you what are you doing antagonizing my second in command?"

"I was doing NO such thing. He was being difficult. I simply said I needed to talk to you and he threw a huge tantrum and attacked me." She scoffed sending the blind leader a scandalized look.

At her words a skeptical look crossed over the aging fox's face. Clearly he had issues believing her, which was odd because her dramatics usually passed for sincerity. Kaya knew she lied a lot. As a thief deception, distraction, diversion-all were tools of the trade and she was exceptionally good at what she did. Her performances were flawless...But occasionally she would run into one group or person that could see right through her.

Why did the old geezer have to be so bloody perceptive?

"And what is so important?" The old canine asked after a moment of contemplation.

Kaya glanced from Fang's scowling face to Bao's suspicious one as they trekked along the road.

Tough crowd.

The South China Tiger took a deep breath then held up her chained paws. "I need you to let me go." The incredulous expression the old fox was leveling her with was not reassuring. Kaya hurried to explain herself, hoping she could breach through the blind leader's asinine traditions and ideals. "Look, I know I messed up by trying to steal from you. I sincerely apologize for that, but I have something important to do. I can't afford to be delayed like this. People will DIE if I don't hurry."

The old fox hummed thoughtfully as he absorbed her words. He did not look convinced or even the least bit concerned and Fang's reaction was just as disheartening. The brawny wolf looked indifferent-bored even.

Kaya scowled.

Why was the truth doing nothing for her at the moment?

"So let me get this right?" Bao's deep voice filled the air. The old fox had clearly drawn his own conclusions from her words. The condescending tone he was now addressing her with spoke volumes. "You are in a dire situation. You can't afford to be delayed, but you have time to make little detours off into the forest and indulge your greed? Were you thinking of those dying people then? Obviously you weren't worried about being delayed then."

Her mouth dropped open. "I.."

A million responses came to mind. All of them weak. All of them excuses. What HAD she been thinking abandoning her mission like that? Making a profit was not more important than saving someone's life.

Hot shame flooded through her and Kaya looked away.

He was right.

"As I thought, you're worried about those people now that it's convenient for you." Bao chuckled thoroughly amused at her reactions. "No thief leaves this company without paying off their debt. If you were so worried about them you should have thought about that before. Your selfishness trapped you. It's too late for regrets now. Your "mission" whatever it is can wait a little bit longer."

Kaya twitched.

She really had dug her own grave.

"Fang." The wolf's ears perked at his name and he glanced at his leader expectantly. "You're relieved of guard duty for the time being. We are nearly in town. Tell Kuan he has the next shift. He will guard the prisoner while we trade our goods at the market."

Fang dipped his head in response, his dark eyes glowing with annoyance at being made a messenger dog. After directing a final icy glare at Kaya he turned on his heel and padded away towards the front of the caravan where Kuan was walking. Kaya smirked at his retreating back then turned her attention to the caravan's leader.

"So you guys aren't gonna drag me around with you while you trade?"

Bao's timeless gaze twinkled with mirth. "No...There's a slim chance you might escape in these crowds, and there's an even better chance you will ruin any business we have."

Kaya almost pouted then remembered he could not see her.

He made it sound like she was a hazard.

Her? Thief extraordinaire?

NEVER

"However if Kuan wants to cart you around town while he haggles with the locals he's welcome to try. I doubt he will get any successful trading done with you around."

Kaya smirked, and directed a small evil smile in the fox's direction. "Am I that distracting?" She purred feeling pleased with herself. In response the old fox snorted disparagingly. The canine leader refused to encourage her preening.

Killjoy.

There was nothing wrong with stroking her ego.

Bao Fong rolled his eyes at her little self-absorbed display. "Yes like any nuisance, you are distracting, and need to be ignored." He murmured, a fanged grin stretching across his face. Kaya huffed indignantly, a thousand rude comebacks coming to mind-none of which were appropriate or ladylike. They could have gone on for hours with that banter, but at that moment her new prison warden arrived panting and out of breath.

"Ah Kuan." The Canine leader stepped forward and clapped the Caspian tiger on the back amiably. "Good timing son. Now that we are entering the town of Nigiri someone needs to look out for our little prisoner. I'm counting on you to keep her in line."

Like the golden boy he was Kuan's only response was to smile and take the end of her chains. "I won't let you down Bao."

"Good, Good." The fox said something else before walking away, but Kaya's thoughts were elsewhere.

Nigiri.

They were in Nigiri.

Nigiri, that was nowhere near the capital.

Panic surged her. She was over seven miles in the WRONG direction. This was bad. She had to get away from this caravan and soon. Kuan must have seen some of the desperation in her gaze because his eyes were narrowed in concern.

"Uh...Kaya are you alright?"

NO. She was not alright.

The South China tiger took a deep breath trying to soothe her nerves.

"I'm fine." She managed to choke out. It took extreme effort not to give into her instincts and use his face as a scratching post then bolt for the tree line. Being trapped was messing with her head. She did not normally deal with aggressive urges like this. Her control over her temper had been waning since she had started this fool's journey.

The Caspian tiger eyed her warily. He could probably sense her restlessness.

"Right...Anyways, I need to go into town to pick up some things."

She stared at him blankly.

At her stoic expression he elaborated further. "And since I'm supposed to be guarding you, you need to come with me."

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Is that where he was going with this?

"I'd rather not." She replied, her tone flat.

The crooked grin he sent her way promised mischief. Kaya had the eerie feeling she was not being given a choice. What happened to that naive garbage he was preaching about earlier? Didn't Kuan say _"Even a prisoner has rights."_

Did that suddenly not apply anymore?

Apparently not.

The dry thought echoed in her head as she found herself led unceremoniously down the paved streets of Nigiri as Kuan browsed the local market. After so many steps Kaya found herself assaulted by every revolting scent and sight Nigiri had to offer. It took a second for her senses to adjust and she found herself taking shallow breaths while trying to distract herself with the various vendors in the street.

She found her eyes roving over the Caspian tiger as he glided from stand to stand inspecting random trinkets and goods. He looked to be about her age. For a young tiger he was well built with a glossy orange pelt. Dark jagged stripes rippled across his fur. He had yet to reach his full size though. As Kaya studied him, comparing him to other male tigers she had seen-her deceased father and her brother, it was easy to note the differences between them.

As a Caspian tiger, Kuan had an extra heavy layer of fur. He would always look more rugged and less refined then a South China tiger. At the same time when he bulked out and reached his true size he would be bigger than her father or any of her siblings had been.

Not that size mattered.

His passive nature alluded to Kuan being a giant softy as an adult.

He was not a fighter.

Kaya watched intently as he haggled with a seamstress.

Definitely not a fighter.

A smooth talking tradesmen maybe...

She winced when the vendor yelled something inarticulate at him which resulted in him ducking as a roll of silk was thrown at his face. The sudden movement had her stumbling forward. Kaya dug her claws into the ground, refusing to face plant and hurt her pride anymore today.

Is there a reason why he couldn't piss off market people and let GO of her chains when they came after him?

Maybe he wasn't a fighter or tradesmen...Maybe he was just a moron.

Her lips twitched in amusement.

Kuan trudged back to her-his expression cowed by fear and shock. "Alright let's go." He mumbled brushing past her. The South China tiger followed obediently behind him trying not to enjoy his suffering too much. They padded past the stands selling useless trinkets and irrelevant items. The further they walked in complete silence the more Kaya was sure she could smell food.

"So what are you trying to buy next?"

The question was innocent.

Kaya didn't really care what they were shopping for.

Idle conversation would distract her from the scent of food and her growling stomach.

Kuan grumbled discontentedly to himself, but ever the gentlemen could not bring himself to ignore her question. He sighed wistfully glancing over at her. Kaya arched in eyebrow waiting for him to do something other than stare and make weird sounds.

"I was going to pick up some treats for Mei." He said finally.

Mei.

Of course.

He would be concerned for the little twerp.

Kaya's disgruntled expression had him glancing at her curiously. "Is something wrong? Do you...have an issue with Mei?" He asked hesitantly.

No I have an issue with you.

Her paws clenched into shaking fists. Kaya hated how he seemed to be a genuinely good guy looking out for his little sister. She despised how he was concerned for the little brat. It infuriated her to see them happy all the time. Kaya wasn't stupid. She knew her vehement response was a reaction to her past haunting the present.

She loathed Kuan and Mei, not because they had gotten her imprisoned but because in a different time-in a different place that could have been her. She could have been hanging out with her older brother at the market with no worries except for the promise of future treats.

The South China tiger released a shaky breath.

Time hadn't healed her.

Just scarred her...

"Kaya?"

His voice brought her attention back to the present. "What Kuan?" She asked suddenly feeling exhausted.

"You didn't answer me..."

What was he saying again? She raced through her thoughts trying to remember what they had been talking about. Mei. His sister. He had asked if she had an issue with her. Kaya chuckled bitterly. She wished it was that simple. "No Kuan. I've got nothing against her."

A half truth.

Mei was an unwanted reminder, but it wasn't Kaya's place to fault her for being happy. She had lost her family a long time ago. It hurt, but the world didn't owe her anything. She refused to stay bitter because a child had something she didn't.

Kuan nodded companionably at her and began talking again.

"I'm glad. She's a good kid."

"Yeah I bet." Kaya muttered lowly. Her eyes purposely flicked around the market looking for something. Anything to turn the tide of this conversation. Finally her gaze landed on a small inconspicuous looking stand. Perfect. Lightly she nudged her prison warden and nodded in the direction of the vendor.

"There's a mixture of desserts over there Mei would go crazy over."

Kuan followed her gaze, and his eyes lit up when he spotted the stand she was talking about.

"Yeah you're right." He turned back to face her and his excited expression melted into a stern one. "Stay here alright. I'm trusting you not to run off." He dropped her chain and padded over to the stand across the street leaving Kaya alone in a busy market area. The South China tiger glanced at the direction Kuan had padded off in then towards the entrance of the city.

The gate was close enough to sprint too if she managed to undo the chains on her legs then she could get to the capital in a few weeks and deliver the message the stupid goat wanted verbally.

She really should escape right now.

With an annoyed sigh she leaned back against the building.

Something was telling her to stay put though.

Why?

What was here that was so bloody important?

Her eyes scanned the market place again. The crowd was milling around. Kuan was at the dessert shop wasting his money. Nothing unusual was happening. So why were all of her instincts screaming at her that something was wrong? Out of the corner of her eye something flashed.

Her emerald gaze was immediately drawn to the movement.

There far down the line of vendors was Fang's familiar bulk. The flash had probably originated from the large cart of weapons stacked beside him. The wolf had stationed himself at a weapon's shop. Surrounding him was a large band of garrish looking rogues. They looked extremely comfortable together. Her eyes narrowed. Far more comfortable than a trader should be with a band of thieves.

Why exactly was that group so freaking friendly together?

What was Fang up to and why did he need so many dangerous pointy weapons to accomplish it?

Something bad was about to happen.

And of course Kaya was gonna get caught up in the middle of it.

She scowled.

Typical. Not everyone can be satisfied and the unhappy ones always wanna kill something. THIS is why she did not want to get involved in caravan politics.

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**Whoo okay that's the end of this chapter. Bad things are coming...everything is about to get more complicated. So keep reading and Please R and R XD**

**New chapter up soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Whoo okay Sorry this one is kinda late and shorter than normal. I recently got a cold soooooo it's not quite up to par with the other chapters and it's more of a "tension building" chappie than anything else.**

**Ihatethesystem- you have to redo TGD? Really? How did that happen? What rule got broken? O.o**

**Princess Gakoshi- Heh I had this idea buzzing around in my head for days. For all the stories about Po and the Furious Five I had never seen one with actual dragons either so I wanted to incorporate them in my story...especially since they're so huge in Chinese culture and You're right. Fang is only worried about his own agenda, and his lust for power is going to cause some issues when this thing finally explodes. **

**This chapter is unbeta-ed so I apologize beforehand for any mistakes.**

**Thanks for reviewing and putting out your thoughts and now read and enjoy.**

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Clink.

Clink.

Clink.

Kaya scrubbed each dish clean of food, lathering it with cleanser than placed each plate in a wooden bucket for storage. Menial labor. She had gone from untouchable thief to caravan maid in the span of 48 hours. Her lips curled in distaste. She was a predator! She was not meant to wash dishes, check inventory, and do laundry.

This was pathetic.

The South China Tiger had been catering to the tradesmen since they had left the town of Nigiri. Every night for the past few days she had been washing dishes, preparing the food, checking the inventory, and polishing each and every last pointy weapon found in the camp. And there were a lot of them.

She paused to slip another dish in the bucket.

It was actually kind of alarming. No band of traders should have an armory like this. They were equipped with enough weapons nto conquer a small town.

Why?

She frowned as she placed the last dish in the bucket and reached for a cloth to begin drying the plates. What possible purpose could they have by arming themselves like this? Battle weapons did not sell well at the market. In fact- any professional tradesmen would invest in more valuable wares and only buy weapons to protect their stock.

So why was this trading company armed to the teeth?

No.

Kaya paused, placing a dry dish off to the side and reached for another dripping plate.

It wasn't the company that was collecting dangerous weapons. Fang's sneering face flashed across her mind. It was that stupid dog. Ever since leaving Nigiri she had seen his temper waning. He was less predictable, and even more impulsively annoying than usual. Not only was he a threat because of the number of weapons he had purchased, he was also dangerous because he had slipped in almost fifteen armed men into the Bao Fong's camp.

The tempermental fleabag had called the new additions "Friends" and "Proteges," but Kaya knew better.

She knew scum when she saw it.

The fifteen new tradesmen recruits were nothing more than hired thugs with Fang as their backstabbing leader. The arrogant furball was CLEARLY up to something bad. Unfortunately due to his high ranking no one suspected him. Any one of the trading company would agree that Fang was violent, aggressive, and clearly had psychotic tendencies. No one would agree that he was a traitor.

Loyalty to the caravan and all that.

...Idiots.

She scowled as she dried the last dish placing it off to the side and got to her feet.

This left Kaya at in impasse.

With tensions running high and Fang about to make a move, she could take advantage of his rebellion/betrayal and escape. Nothing was tying her to this camp. Not to mention Kaya seriously needed to make up for lost time. There was NO reason to stick around. Her paws clenched into trembling fists as she thought about the alternative.

On the other hand if she did leave, and abandoned the caravan to Fang's crew. Bao Fong would die. Everyone loyal to Bao would die. Fang would make off with the goods and Kuan and his sister would either be killed or forced to be Fang's lackeys. The mere idea made her stomach lurch and Kaya tried not to grimace.

Why were things so complicated?

"Well don't you look deep in thought?'

Kaya blinked as Bao Fong's wheezy voice forced her to break from her musings. She spared the greying fox a dark look. "What do you want?"

The caravan leader chuckled at her irritated expression. Then to further antagonize her he plopped down on the large rock beside her, purposefully invading her personal space. Kaya sidled away from him a bit, far from amused. At her avoidant reaction the aging fox laughed again "All I want to do is to talk girlie that's all." He grinned showing off sharp fangs.

Girlie?

He was joking right?

"Don't call me that." She growled eyeing him like one would a very annoying cockroach that needs to be squashed.

"You've been working hard these last few days. I'm surprised someone like you can handle working like an ordinary citizen...How does it feel?" He questioned quietly. He seemed to be immune to her death glares, either that or he was very skilled at ignoring them.

Oh if looks could kill.

Kaya sighed in disappointment, her aggravated expression melting away. She sent the old leader a bored look. "It feels like I've found a new calling in life. Why waste my time stealing priceless artifacts when I can just stay here while my paws turn pruny from doing dishes all day? It's every girls' dream to throw away all her skills and become an overworked housewife."

Bao Fong snickered at her sarcastic response. "Don't whine girlie it doesn't fit you, but that does make me wonder. Is that why you steal?...To defy society's expectations? Breaking laws just because you want to be different from the norm makes you nothing more than a child...a _cub."_

The South China tiger said nothing. When he began lecturing her ears had fallen back against her head. Her claws had slid out with a silent hiss.

Her emerald gaze was icy.

This fox was treading in dangerous territory.

The reason she stole was none of this man's business.

After studying her murderous expression he held up his paws in surrender "Hey relax, I was just making an observation that's all. I thought I'd pick something interesting to talk about since you were so lost in thought earlier."

Kaya tried not to bristle.

_I was lost in thought because I was trying to decide if I should help you or not you old geezer! Now I'm half way hoping Fang deep fries you._ She twitched forcing herself to relax. She was overreacting. Again. Kaya reigned in her temper with effort. She couldn't afford to get angry now.

"I was just wondering how long it would it take for me to be released." She lied smoothly meeting his gaze with questioning eyes.

The old canine paused, and seem to be weighing her words. "You will be released when you have earned your freedom not a minute before. Meanwhile," he grunted and made a show of getting to his feet and dusting the dirt off his trousers."You still have work to do." He murmured.

Clearly done with the conversation the aging fox padded away.

Kaya sighed softly as he disappeared into the largest tent.

That senile old fox was seriously annoying. She had a job to do that didn't involve cleaning up after every grime covered trader in China. She was tired of working like this, but that ancient canine was clearly trying to teach her a lesson. A lesson that was taking entirely too long to sink in...She had a message to deliver.

What could she do though? The opportunity to escape had only presented itself once so far and all of her instincts had been screaming at her stay put.

With a quiet grunt she grabbed the bucket of dried dishes and padded over to the edge of the camp. As she walked, heavy chains on her feet made a soft clinking sound that was sure to rouse any light sleepers in this camp. She set the bucket down with a light thud, then allowed her eyes to travel around the clearing. Everyone was still sleeping. Good.

Her eyes narrowed as she counted again.

No..

Not everyone was asleep.

Fang and his little minions were missing. Kaya scented the air noting how fresh their scents were. The wolf and his crew and slipped out of camp recently then. What were they up to?She dropped to all fours, intent on following the scent. Her movement caused the chains to chafe against her flesh and Kaya hissed in pain. The South China froze as she realized she was still a prisoner here.

She couldn't sneak up on them with her feet bound like this.

"Son of a..." Her voice trailed off ending in a growl as she yanked angrily at the steel chains.

Frustation welled up inside her. She could not monitor Fang. Not like this...

Her emerald gaze flicked around the clearing.

There had to be something she could do.

Could she get someone else to spy on Fang?

Before she was even aware of herself moving she found herself in front of Kuan's tent. The Caspian tiger was your typical goodie goodie. If she woke anyone else up in the middle of the night she would most likely get punished. Not to mention she would be in even more trouble when she accused Fang of being a traitor. Hopefully Kuan was too naive to report her to his fellow tradesmen.

Steeling herself Kaya quietly slipped into his tent not surprised at all when the first thing she saw was the Caspian tiger curled protectively around his little sister at the back of the tent. Making no sound she padded over to him, creeping around his sibling to tap him on the shoulder. No frowned and tapped him again. He rolled over with a grunt still snoring lightly. Clearly it was going to take more than a few pokes to wake him.

"Kuan...Kuan." She whispered trying to shake him awake.

"Mmmm" He purred happily and draped his arm around her. The South China tiger almost tripped at the unexpected movemnt and found herself being yanked closer to his chest.

Kaya eyed him curiously.

Exactly what kind of dream was he having?

"Mmmmm..you are so beautiful."

Kaya twitched. Hormonal idiot.

With a roll of her eyes she began to wriggle out of his arms, agilely leaping away from the clingy tiger. After planting herself safely out of his reach Kaya crossed her arms in annoyance. She still needed to wake him up somehow. Well if he didn't respond to shaking poking or his name, perhaps he responded better to violence?

With an evil smirk she crept back over to the sleeping siblings.

"Kuan wake up." She hissed, and roughly cuffed the Caspian tiger.

The reaction was immediate. He yelped jumping to his paws and glanced around frantically. Clearly he was looking around for some threat, but then wild eyes came to rest on her and he blinked as if to say what are YOU doing here. Kaya grinned smugly in response.

"What are you doing here?" He hissed, voicing the question.

Kaya cocked her head to the side, an amused grin stretching across her lips. "What? You don't like me being here?"

He coughed uncomfortably and she tried not to tease him for his awkward reactions. "Look it's late...I need to sleep...Is there something you needed?" His solemn gaze met hers and Kaya's amusement melted away. The time for joking was past. Her own expression turned serious as she thought of what to say.

"I need a favor. Earlier you said Fang was cruel and violent and you were right he is aggressive. I've seen him lose his temper. I believed you..and now I need you to believe me. Fang is up to something bad. You HAVE to have seen all the weapons he brought to camp. He brought weapons and armed thugs with him. They snuck off tonight. They are gonna do something. You have to go spy on them and see what they're..."

Kaya trailed off as she noted his disbelieving look. "What?" She hissed.

"You're crazy." He replied bluntly.

Kaya twitched feeling offended on every level one could be offended. "I'm not crazy." She growled.

Kuan ignored her indignant response pressing on to explain himself. "Fang is a lot of things-violent, tempermental, and extremely territorial but he is not a traitor. He's loyal to Bao Fong like the rest of us."

"You can't seriously believe that?" She arched one brow at his naivety. "Are you stupid? Fang isn't loyal. He only cares about himself."

Kuan's frown deepened at her words.

"I think you should leave." He said quietly shocking her with the determination in his gaze. He really had no intention of listening to her. Even though he knew what Fang was like he still insisted on believing the dog was loyal. He was her last idea to warn this camp. So much for that. Kaya closed her eyes briefly wondering if there was anything else she could do.

"Kaya."

Her name distracted her from her thoughts. Her eyes trailed to the one calling her. The Caspian tiger stood there looking at her expectantly. Ah right, he was still waiting for her to leave his tent. With a soft sigh Kaya turned on her heel and slowly exited Kuan's tent, and padded to her side of the camp.

A small, half torn futon had been given to her to sleep on.

Kaya plopped down on it now, resting her head on the edge of the bamboo mat and glancing up at the sky. A storm was air hummed with tension, pressing down on her, consuming her. In the silence with no other companion other than the night stars the South China tiger tried to relax.

Kaya was a thief.

Why was she worried about this caravan?

No matter what happened with Fang, or the trading group, it wasn't her problem.

NONE of this was her problem.

With new resolve to not to worry about the camp or the trading group, Kaya fell into a light sleep not knowing that a pair of dark beady eyes were glaring at her from the shadows. As Kaya became to dead to the waking world a familiar wolf crept back into camp, his face twisted into an evil sneer. He slipped out of the shadows and behind him his crew lurched into camp to get some rest for the night.

Smug, and entirely statisfied with himself the dark furred wolf glanced around the camp, absorbing everything, counting everything.

His fanged grin widened.

Soon it would all be his.

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**And that's the end of this chapter. What do ya think? Haha next chapter the REAL fun starts. I will upload it in a couple of days.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Whoa okay new chappie. Sorry it took so long...Major thanks to Shektor for beta-ing this chappie.**

**There's not much else to say cept for read and enjoy lots happens in this chapter.**

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"Get up you maggots!"

Kaya woke up at the coarse command, her body sluggish and slow from sleep. What was going on? A yawn worked its way from her maw. Lazily, the South China tiger glanced around the camp wondering what was so direly important at this hour. All around her, followers of Bao Fong and their fellow tradesmen were being rudely kicked awake as well.

Just barely, with the help of the coming dawn Kaya was able to identify Fang's followers as the unwelcome wake up call. Brutes. She shook her head in disgust, and began to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She really was not coherent enough for this right now. Even with her mind trying to process the situation everything seemed to be happening in slow motion.

The way in which the camp was set up was so that they were flanked by a forest. Directly to the right of the forest was the trail leading towards the next town. On the opposite side of the trail was a cliff. One by one each of Bao's followers were being herded towards the back of the camp so they were trapped by the overhanging ledge.

The smell of cold steel that permeated throughout the clearing hinted at weapons being drawn.

Clearly Fang's plan was being set in motion.

Stifling another yawn Kaya got to her paws. She had to act quickly.

"Fang what are you doing?" Bao's outraged snarl echoed throughout the clearing. Everyone fell silent. Fang's minions ceased preparing to attack. Bao's people paused in the middle of their indignant reactions at being herded like cattle. In response to the caravan's leader anger Fang smirked showing off a mouthful of dagger like teeth.

"I'm taking my goods, and finally making a fortune for myself. It's time for me to move up in the world and you." Fang spat the word 'you' as if it was poison. "are holding me back."

The aging canines sightless eyes narrowed at the self absorbed reply. "Those are OUR wares boy." He said gravely as if talking to an insolent child. "You cannot simply take something that belongs to all of us."

Fang rolled his eyes, either not really listening or not caring what the caravan leader had to say anymore. "Just shut up old timer. Your time has passed…" His paw motioned towards the caravan and all the goods. "This is all mine now." He grinned, an overly smug smile twisting across his face.

The blind caravan leader sighed, a vexed look overlapping his normal expression.

"I don't want to fight you…"

As the word fight left his lips Kaya knew this was about to get ugly. Fang was a greedy furball that wanted something bad enough to kill for it. This old geezer was just in the way. While everyone was busy dealing with the betrayal and rebellion and completely ignoring her, now was an opportune time to begin breaking out of her shackles.

She had not left earlier because she was severely outnumbered. She would have been caught again eventually, but with everyone focused on the impending fight, no one would care if she left or not, and Kaya had no intention of staying. This battle wasn't hers to fight. That thought in mind her claws slid out with a quiet click and she began working at the lock on her handcuffs.

Fang's eerie bark of laughter made her jump, and for a moment she lost her concentration.

"Oh please…What can an old man like you do against me? What can any of you do?" Fang chuckled again thoroughly amused at how helpless his tradesmen brothers now appeared to be. The old fox's deep milky gaze locked with his. Not a trace of fear or anger tarnished that sightless gaze. Wisdom, and something ageless reflected in the old geezer's eyes making Fang's arrogant laughter fade away.

The wolf scowled as he lost the unofficial staring contest.

"I'm tired of this…Kill them all."

Those three little words made all hell erupt.

Kaya focused on working her claw past the locking mechanism in her cuffs again, ignoring the battle cries that echoed around her. To the left and right of her tradesmen clashed with scum, a flash of claws and swords making resounding clangs as people from both sides slammed together in mid air.

She watched in a sort of morbid fascination as people who had been getting drunk together just the night previous were now making each other bleed rivers. Men she did not know the name of, snapped and growled refusing to back down. Traders were not warriors by nature but man were they putting up a fight.

A soft hiss of metal pulled her attention away from the ongoing battle and Kaya was relieved to see her cuffs falling into a metal heap on the grass. Gently she rubbed her forearm, trying to get the circulation there back. That was so much better. Sadly, she was not done yet though, her gaze traveled to her bound feet.

She had to undo the chains on her feet to escape here…

The South China tiger sighed and bent down to begin working on her bound legs. Almost immediately she was in danger again. Kaya rolled back as two men, an alligator and a wolf tumbled into the place she had been sitting previously. They were a blur of paws and fangs as they ripped into each other. If Kaya had not moved she might be missing a limb right now. Falling in the middle of a fight like that was apparently bad for her health. Wide eyed and panting, and now feeling more and more anxious to leave Kaya knelt down to finish removing the chains on her feet.

"Bao Fong NO!"

Kaya's eyes snapped up at hearing Kuan's wild scream. Her eyes fell on the Caspian tiger whom she had lost sight of towards the beginning of the battle. His mouth was open in horror. His bulky frame was trembling, and his eyes seemed to burn with unshed tears.

Her eyes followed his gaze and she was met with a disturbing sight.

Among the fallen bodies, on the trail that marked the center of the camp was Fang and hovering close to him was Bao Fong. The dark wolf's eyes were malicious, and filled with unbridled pleasure as the sharp end of his blade completely impaled the caravan leader.

Bao Fong's ancient twig like frame shuddered a few times.

Everything else in the camp had come to a stand still. The remaining tradesmen and thugs watched on in horror or in amusement as blood dripped from the sword and soaked the ground. Fang himself seemed frozen as if thinking over the damage he just did.

"Bao Fong!" Kuan's tortured cry shattered the ominous silence again. Time sped up. With a disgusted grunt Fang withdrew his blade and Bao Fong crumpled to the ground. Limp. Bleeding. Not breathing. Kaya winced at the sight. Even from her position away from the battle, she could tell that the old fox would not be moving again.

"Fang!" Kuan's voice shook and tears trailed down his orange fur as he gazed at his once great leader. Bao's once silky grey fur was now matted, and crisp with dried blood. His mysterious eyes, once merry and wise were now cold and dead. Not even the rhythmic rise and fall of the fox's chest existed anymore. Bao Fong was no more. The Caspian's tiger's soulful gaze left the fox's limp body and settled on the dark wolf. The sorrow melted away into fury. "I'll kill you Fang!"

Kaya blinked at the words.

Useless.

Empty threats.

As angry and betrayed as Kuan was the Caspian tiger was too soft to follow through. Equally irate promises of death were sent Fang's way by other members of Bao's crew till the whole clearing was ringing with promises to kill off the dark wolf.

Kaya ignored the rallying hate filled cries for a second to finish at least part of her escape plan. She maneuvered her claws through the locking mechanisms on her legs and was satisfied to here a soft click signaling she was completely free.

"Enough!" Fang's voice rose above the rest and a strained silence fell over the clearing. He had carefully positioned himself close to the cliff's edge so no one would be able to sneak up on him."You will listen to me and help load the caravans for me and my subordinates to leave, if any of you even tries to approach me, this little cub dies." At his words horrified gasps filled the clearing. One of his followers handed him a cloth sack that bobbed and weaved as a little body squirmed around inside of it.

Kaya eyed the bag curiously.

That's not Kuan's little monster is it?

Her silent question was answered a second later when Fang pulled a very familiar looking cub out of the bag.

"Mei." The Caspian tiger's pained whisper might as well have been shouted. Every tradesmen looked at him in sympathy and made no move towards Fang who was dangling his little sister over a cliff. It was not their place to risk that cub's life. No one would be able to sleep if a cub died because of them. Fang most likely kidnapped the child amidst all the chaos caused by the battle, and all the while planned to use her for his own security.

What a cowardly turd.

Kaya frowned.

"Alright good. You know how this works. Help load the caravan and move it to the road, any of you make a move towards me and this cub dies." Fang's grip tightened emphatically around Mei making the little cub squeal in pain, which in turn made Kaya and everyone else want to backhand Fang off the cliff.

With painful reluctance the remaining tradesmen began to do as they were told. Kuan included. Kaya watched all this with a permanent frown etched on her face. Fang was entirely too smug with himself right now. It was sickening.

Too bad this wasn't her problem.

The South China tiger got to her paws, padding past the fallen tradesmen and thugs and walking towards the forest where her pack was unnoticed. Still stiff from her recent activities she carefully shouldered her travel bag then glanced in the direction she needed to go. This is where things got difficult. She needed to get to the trail to go to the next town. The trail was uncomfortably close the cliff face, which meant Fang and his cronies would see her, which might hinder her chance of escaping.

Kaya hummed thoughtfully, her brain refusing to cooperate because she was still experiencing whiplash from everything that had taken place in the last hour. Bao Fong had died. The tradesmen had been broken. Mei's life is in danger. None of it was in the least bit amusing. Nor were any of these recent events helping her strategize what to do now.

In the end simplicity won out.

In full view of the tradesmen loading the wares and of Fang still dangling a child off a cliff she padded towards the trail.

"What do you think you're doing?" Fang sneered at her, when he finally noticed she was free.

"Leaving." She replied simply.

"No, I don't think so. The same rule applies to you that applies to them-if you move she dies." He shook Mei like a rag doll. Kaya paused, but her expression didn't soften. She gazed coldly at the wolf, and her paw tightened around her bag as adrenaline began to course threw her.

She sent the wolf an icy smile. "I don't care."

Everything became eerily silent and she heard someone drop a box of goods on the ground. Even Fang's cocky demeanor faltered at her words. "Excuse me?"

Kaya rolled her eyes sending the wolf a flat look. "I don't even know that kid. If you wanna kill her-then kill her. I don't care. I'm leaving though."

"You're joking right?" After studying her blank expression, that had zero signs of joking Fang threw back his head and laughed. "Wowwww you are one cold woman." The dark wolf glanced at his cronies. "Let her leave guys she's harmless." He grinned probably finding amusement in her actions.

She sounded just as bad as him.

"You have no idea." She muttered feeling several glares burning holes into the back of her head. No doubt Kuan and all the tradesmen probably felt betrayed by her too. Did they really have the right to be mad though? They weren't her friends. They weren't her kin. They weren't even acquaintances. What exactly did they want from her?

She strode down the path trying to seem unaffected by them.

This wasn't her problem.

Her pace quickened and she let out a quiet snarl.

This wasn't her problem.

Her ears fell flat against her head.

This wasn't her problem.

She stopped walking completely. Kaya groaned in defeat and with a disgusted look threw her pack on the ground. She couldn't leave like this. As a thief, she didn't care much what others said or did, and there were a lot of things that were not her business, but some things were impossible to ignore. Some things marked her as at least being better than a beast.

Making sure a cub did not die right in front of her was one of those things.

The South China tiger glanced back in the direction she came. She was now out of sight of the camp, but circling back would be easy. However, sneaking back wasn't the issue at hand-the real issue was what to do when she got there? Kaya was not a fighter. She was fast and stealthy, but not very skilled in combat.

Her natural weapons slid out with a soft hiss and she flexed her claws remembering what her parents had told her when she was a newly born cub.

"_Never use your claws unless you are prepared to kill with them."_

Today she would have to use them…

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Kuan carelessly threw another crate into the back of the caravan. He couldn't believe this. Bao Fong was dead, and his sister was taken by the same psycho that murdered him. Everything the traders had worked for had been shattered in the span of a couple of hours. Not only that, but Kaya, who had taken the time to warn him this was coming, turned out to be a cold and unfeeling wench with no emotions.

Her unflinching gaze, and callous words were burned into his mind.

"_I don't even know that kid. If you wanna kill her-then kill her. I don't care. I'm leaving though."_

How could she say that?

How could anyone with a half heart say that?

He had misjudged her. His face twisted unpleasantly as he hauled another crate up. He had misjudged everyone. He was such a failure. How could a tiger of any species be so weak? He couldn't save one person he cared about. It was utterly pathetic.

"Kuan, you alright man?"

The quiet whisper distracted him from the feeling of self loathing consuming him. "No I'm not fine." He whispered crossly back. How could anyone feel fine right now? The one who had asked flinched and sent him an apologetic look as they both dropped their crates in the back of the caravan.

"Sorry…but it's gonna work out. Yeah? The whole caravan is here for you." Finally placing a name with the face, Kuan sent the friendly snake a heated glance.

"Aerin. I hope you're aware that nothing you're saying is reassuring me right now."

Scales drooped and the snake dipped his head. "Sorry…"

Kuan grunted in response as he hauled up yet another crate. Something in the forest flashed across his peripheral vision and his gaze fixed on the shadows. He almost dropped the box he was holding as he saw two familiar emerald orbs peering out from the darkness.

What was Kaya doing back here?

He didn't have time to guess her motives because one second she was one with forest, craftily hidden by its trees, the next she was a blur of orange streaking past Fang's guards and making a running leap for the dark wolf himself.

His breath caught in his throat.

_What in the name of the gods what she doing?_

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxX_

Kaya decided speed was her friend. Fang was bigger than her. Stronger than her, but she was faster than he would ever be. Before she could find a reason to justify not going after him the South China Tiger had leapt into action darting past his guards and making a beeline for the dark wolf himself.

She did not even give him the time to blink.

Before he could even register that she planned to attack him she had bull rushed him and slammed the tips of her claws into his exposed midsection. Then four very important things came to her attention: One-because she had lunged at him, she was unable to stop her momentum and they were both sent careening towards the ledge, two- because Fang was on a cliff they were both now plunging towards their death, three- as they were plunging to their death Fang had remembered he was psychotic and before they fell too far had stabbed his sword into her now bleeding arm, and four- where was Mia in all of this?

All these thoughts raced across her mind in an instant making her dizzy.

She mentally kicked herself. Now was not the time to be lightheaded.

Kaya inched away from the wolf falling next to her and tried to ignore the trail of blood that was defying gravity and slipping from her wound into the sky. Her head whipped back and forth looking for any sign of Mia.

A ball of orange and black was falling directly below her. Kaya lunged for it, and after grasping the cub in her teeth used her three available paws to hug the cliff face, and slow her momentum. Time seemed to crawl by as she slid against the stone, trying to use her claws as makeshift brakes.

After the longest couple seconds of her life, her fall stopped completely, and Kaya clung to the rock. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. Every muscle ached, and her right arm still burned from being stabbed. Wet blood soaked the fur all along her side where her arm had bled through her clothes, but hanging in her mouth by the scruff of her neck was a little ball of fur.

Kaya's eyes softened as she glanced down at the child.

"Are you alright Mei?"

The little cub that had been curled into a ball refusing to move looked up at her with tearful eyes. "I wanna go home."

Kaya chuckled glancing up at the top of the cliff where she knew the caravan was waiting. "Alright I'll take you home." She grinned reassuringly and began to haul her protesting body up the cliff. They fell maybe forty feet before they came to a rest. The South China tiger would have to carefully make her way back up the side.

The thought was not a pleasant one…

After just a couple of seconds of climbing she began to see black spots in her vision.

Her breath came in labored pants.

She lost all feeling in her limbs.

Then suddenly her world went white and she didn't feel anything.

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**Haha alright finally some action is taking place and Kaya is being more than a really talented thief. Thoughts? Questions? R and R**


	7. Chapter 7

**Whoo okay new chappie things are slowing down again:3 Read and enjoy:3**

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Am I dead?

It was her first coherent thought upon waking. Scratch that. It was her ONLY thought upon waking. Kaya tried to suck in a surprised breath and found she didn't really need to breathe. For some odd reason she did not seem to need oxygen at the moment. She tried to feel around, looking for something to help her stand-which was when she noticed that her butchered arm didn't even hurt anymore. Kaya froze and slowly brought the formerly bleeding limb so it was at eye level.

She should be bleeding right now.

Carefully, cautiously the South China tiger flexed her paw-eyeing it like it was some deformed alien.

Why was she completely healed?

Wasn't hell supposed to be some kind of never ending torture session? At the moment Kaya felt stronger than she ever had before in her life, and all of her wounds were gone. What kind of sick game was this?

"**My precious little one..."**

She stiffened.

A petrifying chill ran down her spine. Raw unadulterated power radiated from just those simple words. Something vast, and ancient was speaking. Achingly, with almost painful slowness she turned her head to face the owner of the voice.

She wasn't prepared for the monster that greeted her. A large scaled beast many many heads taller than herself met her gaze evenly. Bright luminous eyes that appeared to look through her stole whatever words she had planned to say. Long graceful, and taller than any building she had ever seen, the celestial beast was a god in its own right.

A mane of lightning crackled down the length of its neck all the way down to its whip like tail. Wings curled inward marked the beast as flight worthy. A bulging chest with rippling biceps, forelegs, and haunches marked it as powerful. Plumes of smoke rose from its nostrils marking it as nether worldly.

Only a fool would mistakenly label the monster before her.

Kaya carefully stood from her cross legged position on the floor. Every last one of her instincts was screaming she was out of her league. This thing could eat her and she wouldn't even be able to resist enough to give it indigestion.

Fully upright she could feel her legs shaking, but she managed to still look defiant-Even when plumes of smoke rose from its nostrils fogging the area.

"I didn't know real Dragons existed." She said finally, pushing past the choked feeling that had been robbing her of speech.

The dragon in question dipped his mighty head so he was closer to her. She couldn't believe this. Dragons were beasts of myth. They were worshipped as gods and said to control the balance of the universe, but no one had ever seen one. For all the power and glory they supposedly possessed not one of them had ever made an appearance. They were legends for a reason.

Outside of stories they were not supposed to exist, but here one stood before her. Living. Breathing. Clearly not just a myth.

"**It is good to see you little one…I have been waiting for you."**

She shivered as the dragon's unnatural tenor washed over her. It took effort not to fall to her knees. His mere presence commanded people to bow to him, to respect him. It was against her nature to bow to anyone. Ever. So Kaya stood her ground, refusing to move. After a minute of fighting her instincts she realized what the great beast had said, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Why?" She questioned flatly.

What could this dragon possibly want from her? Why wait for her? Nothing was making sense anymore and frankly she was not in the mood for this. A potentially awful day had started bad and progressively gotten worse. Bao Fong had died in front of her. The last thing she remembered was falling off a cliff with Mei.

Now she was talking to a heavenly beast that wasn't even supposed to exist…

How bad was her karma?

"**Little cub." **Her attention immediately fell on the smiling dragon. Did he just address her as a child? Really? Kaya frowned and struggled to fight down her indignation as he kept talking. **" I've been waiting for you because the new age needs you. I want to lend you my power so you can stop the upcoming threat…this plague that threatens your home."**

Kaya blinked once.

Twice.

"I don't even know who you _are."_ She frowned.

He seemed to huff in laughter, a melodious sound that made even the earth beneath her shake**. "My name is D'ruk. I rule the skies, the earth, and everything in between- and you little kitling belong to me."**

The South China tiger immediately became tense. Above all things, Kaya hated being objectified. She belonged to no one. She had always paved her own path. Every skill she had she earned. She was stealthy because she had been sneaking around for years. She was fast because she had been running for as long as she could remember. No one ever helped her and no one had the right to claim her.

"I belong to no one." She said coldly.

The great beast shook his head as if exasperated**. "I created you. You are my child-my chosen, and that will never change. Kaya,"** The dragon used her name for the first time, temporarily stunning her. She had never mentioned her name to him. How could he know it? **"Belonging to me does not mean you are my servant. As my chosen it is my duty to help you. My power is at your disposal. All you have to do is call my name."**

The South China tiger snorted disbelievingly. She was beyond tired of this loopy dream. Dragons didn't exist. They couldn't talk. They couldn't create people, and they definitely could not own her.

"Whatever." She muttered carelessly. "I don't know what you're talking about with all of this but I will NEVER call on you. This is just some messed up dream."

"**A dream?**" The celestial beast echoed her words sounding thoroughly amused. **"I suppose you could call it that. After all with your body struggling to mend itself and you being unconscious. This would seem like a dream to your mind."**

Eh?

Kaya tried to wrap her nround his words. Her body needed healing? She was unconscious? Why was he being so bloody obtuse? Nothing this oversized lizard said made sense.

"What are you talking about?" She groaned, trying not to look cross eyed.

His mountain sized body shook with laughter again. **"Little one you fell off a cliff and used your body to protect Mei. You've been unconscious for three moons now."**

Kaya gaped at him.

Oh okay…

Wait.

What?

He smiled mysteriously ignoring her dumbfounded look. **"It's time for you to wake up now."**

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxX

And wake up she did.

One minute Kaya was fuming and about to unleash all her frustrations out on the dragon the next minute she found herself awake on a small futon with a splitting headache. The South China tiger slowly peeled one eye open. Almost immediately she shut it again when bright light blinded her.

The sun had never hurt so badly.

In fact, nothing had ever hurt so badly. With each passing breath Kaya began to notice things. Her head pounded. Her side felt like someone had stomped on it, and her arm felt like it had been ripped in half. Not to mention every muscle was numb with exhaustion. She took a deep breath to center herself, and almost screamed in pain.

Everything hurt.

Why did she feel like this?

"_Little one you fell off a cliff and used your body to protect Mei. You've been unconscious for three moons now."_

She recalled the dragon's parting message. Is that what happened? She fell off a cliff and totaled her body? It felt like she broke her ribs, and bruised a million other parts. If she really did protect Mei, and almost die why was she alive? How was she alive? Carefully Kaya opened her eyes. This time she let them adjust to the sunlight streaming into the room and glanced around.

And more importantly: Where was she now?

Kaya frowned studying the room she was in. She was sitting on a futon that was not too far from the door of the room. Next to her was a nightstand with her travel pack on it. From here, she could tell the scroll was still safe inside the bag so her mission wasn't a complete loss her gear was still in order- Her gaze traveled from the bag to the door then wandered around the rest of the room.

She paused when her emerald gaze locked with a familiar hazel one.

"What are you doing here?" She all but hissed.

There, in the corner of her room with a very stupid looking grin on his face was Kuan. "Kaya! You're awake." He exclaimed getting to his paws.

She sent him a flat look.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious." She remarked, her tone lathered in sarcasm. "But I'm still stuck on why are YOU here and where here is." She muttered, letting her eyes roam around the room for emphasis.

His grin turned sheepish, and he went so far as to rub the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, after you saved Mei you fell off the cliff and we had to lower someone down there to haul you back up. You were in critical condition and I have some medical experience so I fixed you up, but it wasn't enough…"

His gaze fell fixedly to her wounds which she noticed for the first time were bandaged. His voice became softer as he studied them. "Someone had to get you to a professional healer so Mei and I volunteered to carry you to the next town so you could make a full recovery." Kuan shook himself as if needing a physical reminder not to stare at her bruises and met her gaze again. "And that's where we are now. We're in the town of Wuhan."

He saved her?

Not only did he save her he brought her to the next town?

Kaya frowned hating the concerned look she was receiving. It might have been better off if he had left her at the bottom of that cliff. She was not comfortable owing someone, and now she was in Kuan's debt.

….It was not a pleasant feeling.

She glared at the Caspian tiger.

"Why are you still here though?"

If possible, his sheepish expression deepened and he looked full on guilty now. "Well…Honestly I remembered you saying something about delivering a message so I went through your things and found that scroll…"

Kaya groaned.

Nosy good for nothing furball.

"What happened to not touching things that aren't yours?" She sighed in exasperation, wanting to cover her face with her paw. Unfortunately, the said action would probably make her cry out in pain so the South China tiger stayed uncomfortably inert.

Kuan sent her a strange look. "Aren't you a thief?"

. "That's different." She replied sourly

He looked like he wanted to argue but after sending him a warning glance he remained quiet. The silence weighed on her, and a million thoughts raced through her mind. Was her mission in jeopardy now that he had read the scroll? How long would it take before she was in a condition to travel? Was she even going to make it to the palace before something bad happened?

"Hey Kaya, if you had something that important to do why did you stop to try and steal from us?"

She paused in her brooding. The question was innocent enough and Kuan clearly meant no harm by it, but Kaya was not in the mood right now. She sent the Caspian tiger a vexed look.

"It was a mistake that's all. Look I appreciate you taking me this far but really I need to deliver this message and you need to go back to the caravan. You're wasting your time and mine by staying here." She said bluntly hoping he would take the hint and leave.

His hazel eyes glowed with hurt. Clearly, he wasn't expecting her to be so hostile and Kaya did not want to be harsh, but she was done acting. She could not afford any more delays and she was tired of being around him. Kaya appreciated solitude and even on a good day she did not play well with others.

She had wasted enough time with Kuan and his merry band of bargain hunters.

"You want me to leave?" He said after a long pause.

"Yes! I thought that was obvious." She growled. "What did you expect?"

He deflated, and his down cast look almost made her falter. "I was hoping we could come with you." He said finally.

Kaya's mouth ran dry.

"You're joking right?"

"No..I know you've noticed. I'm not the best trader. I come from a family of warriors, but I was too mellow , so I left. My real skill lay in crafting and fixing things. They couldn't use someone like me around so I left and Mei came with me. We wandered around for a long time until Bao Fong took us in and made us part of his family." His eyes glazed over in sadness, "I loved that old geezer, but he could not make me a good trader. It's not my calling, but I think I could help you."

Kaya wanted to throw her hands up in exasperation. "How could you possibly help me?! So far the only thing you two have done is get me captured, and thrown off a cliff. I don't want your help!" By this time Kaya was fuming, but at the same time she felt light headed.

Kuan was looking at her in alarm. "Hey relax…you can't get worked up in your condition." His gaze softened, which made Kaya eye him suspiciously. In a final attempt to persuade her he did something most male tigers would not dream of doing. He lowered himself to one knee and dipped his head in the universal sign of complete and utter subservience.

"Please let us help you." He pleaded his gaze not leaving the floor. "I'm good with medicine. I can help."

Kaya blinked disbelievingly.

Was he that desperate?

She opened her mouth to refuse him. She had resolved a long time ago not to work with others. Tigers had no prides. No packs. They lived alone. She lived alone. Kuan had more to lose if he came with her. He had a cub to take care of and there was no telling what kind of messes she would get into on this journey.

Before she could say anything a tiny yawn caught their attention. A familiar head bobbed up from ground followed by two little paws. Mei glanced sleepily around and when her gaze fell on Kaya the cub seemed to wake up immediately.

"Kaya!" Within the blink of an eye the tiny child had attached herself to Kaya's waist. The sudden contact made the South China tiger hiss in pain, but she made no move to remove Mei. The little cub nuzzled her good shoulder. "You're awake! Why were you sleeping so long?"

"Uhhh."

Kaya blinked feeling utterly confused. Since when was Mei friendly to her? Or clingy with her? What was going on here?

Mei frowned when her question went unanswered. "Kaya are you still hurt?"

Finally finding her voice, Kaya cleared her throat awkwardly sending Kuan a quick _help me_ glance "I'm just tired that's all. Just gonna rest awhile before I start traveling again. I'll be on the road right after you and your brother leave." She said tactfully, trying to make her departure and absence sound irrelevant.

Mei's bottom lip quivered dangerously.

"We're leaving?" She turned accusing eyes towards Kuan-who had stopped snickering and now looked horrified. "This isn't fair. Why are we leaving Kaya? She's hurt!"

He held up his paws in surrender, and tried to placate his sister. "We have to go our separate ways. Kaya needs to go to the capital. We can't go with her."

Mei turned tearfilled eyes on Kaya, and the South China tiger suddenly had the urge to go crawl into a hole for making this kid cry. The little cub sniffled and buried her face in Kaya's fur. "I wanna stay with you Kaya. Please can we go with you?"

Kaya flinched.

They were just tears. Just because a child was sobbing uncontrollably and begging to go with her doesn't mean she was gonna cave. The path to the palace was dangerous and they were only in Wuhan. They still had at least three more cities and one huge river to bypass. There was no reason to endanger Mei like that. None. She opened her mouth to refuse again, and Mei whimpered hugging her tighter.

Kaya froze. The embrace reminded her of the last moments she spent with her family. She didn't wanna let them go either.

She looked over at Kuan and noted he had a similarly stricken look on his face.

Her jaw snapped shut with an audible click.

This was not freaking fair.

How was she supposed to refuse them when they looked so miserable?

Contrary to popular belief she did have a heart. She was not fond of showing emotion, nor was she a fan of expressing herself. Hence she was a brilliant actor. That did not make her immune to people though. She still could not help being affected by their tears, their grief, their pain.

She could not ignore them.

With a heartfelt sigh Kaya wrapped her good arm around Mei cradling her closer. Her exhausted gaze fell on Kuan who was eyeing her in shock.

"You better be one impressive healer." She drawled.

The dumbfounded look she received made her day

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**Alright so thats the new chappie. Next one is coming soon...And the journey begins again and tension builds. Any thoughts? Comments? Predictons?**


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